Tour Stop #8 - Vicksburg National Cemetery

Rows of soldier's graves with American flags on Memorial Day.

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Amenities

2 listed

Accessible Sites, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Established in 1866, thousands of Union soldiers who died during the campaign to capture Vicksburg were disinterred and reburied in Vicksburg. Thousands more died during the occupation between 1866-1869 bringing the number of burials to 17,000 Civil War veterans. The identity of almost 13,000 soldiers and sailors are unknown. The national cemetery also contains the remains of veterans of the Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean Conflict.

• Tour Stop #8 - Vicksburg National Cemetery

  
  

  This track discusses the creation of Vicksburg National Cemetery in 1866.

  Date created:

  12/31/2021

  Audio Transcript

  Here, beneath magnolia trees and manicured grounds, rest the remains of those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

  With the remains of Union soldiers and sailors buried at every hospital, camp site, and battlefield in the region, Vicksburg National Cemetery was established in 1866 as a final resting place for all Union remains found south of the Arkansas state line and north of Grand Gulf, Mississippi.

  Ultimately, more than 17,000 Unions servicemen were disinterred and reburied, making Vicksburg National Cemetery the largest Civil War burial ground in the nation. Unfortunately, due to the primitive burial practices of the armies on the move, such as marking graves with wooden slats, 75% of the dead could not be identified.

  Although primarily containing Union burials, the cemetery remained open until 1961, accepting the remains of over 1,280 casualties from Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean Conflict, as well as honorably discharged veterans and their spouses.

  Among the civilians in the cemetery are: 129 spouses, 9 children, 4 park superintendents, and 27 government workers.

  The remains of Vicksburg’s valiant Confederate defenders lay at Soldier’s Rest in Vicksburg Municipal cemetery not far from here.

  Signs along the tour road contain stanzas taken from the Bivouac of the Dead, a poem written in 1847 in honor of the men who died during the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War. The poem’s message was so universal, however, that it became a staple of cemeteries and memorial services in both the north and the south.